In recent years a great deal of attention has been paid to improving hygiene in bottled liquid dispensers with the object of preventing the multiplication of bacteria and other micro-organisms which could cause health problems.
In the older style of bottled water dispensers the reservoir and its associated components are essentially fixed in the dispenser. However, since the reservoir is open to the atmosphere it is possible for dirt and air-borne micro-organisms to enter the reservoir during use. It is therefore necessary to sanitize the components in situ during periodic routine maintenance.
An effective solution to this problem is proposed in EP 0 581 491 A (Ebac Limited) wherein the dispenser has a disposable reservoir, and a bottle connector incorporating a feed tube is releasably supported beneath the bottle for sealing engagement with a neck formed on the bottle. A first flexible tube conducts liquid from the bottle connector to the reservoir, and a second flexible tube conducts liquid from the reservoir to the discharge outlet via a dispense valve, thereby forming a continuous sealed liquid flow path from the bottle to the discharge outlet. External atmospheric air is prevented from entering the reservoir, but a duct provides a separate flow path by which atmospheric air may directly enter the bottle via the bottle connector without passing through the reservoir. Additional tubes may also be provided, for example to carry ambient water from the feed tube unit to a separate discharge outlet, or to route water through a separate hot reservoir and respective outlet. The feed tube unit, reservoir and interconnecting tubes are collectively called a WATERTRAIL* assembly, referred to below as a flow assembly, which is intended to be periodically removed and replaced with clean components.
When installing such a flow assembly several separate operations must be performed. The reservoir must be fed into its receptacle and the feed tube unit must be engaged with its holder in the correct position to receive the neck of a bottle. At the same time, the flexible tubes must be correctly routed within the cooler to avoid possible kinks, and the tubes leading to discharge outlets must also be fed through fixed dispense valves.
The present invention seeks to provide a new and inventive form of flow assembly and bottled liquid dispenser, which maintains a high level of hygiene whilst simplifying the process of replacing the flow assembly.